Sexual knowledge, attitudes and activity of men conscripted into the military

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Military conscripts may experience a change in their attitude towards sex at times when sexual urges are at their peak during their physical growth. This study examines the experience, understanding, knowledge and attitudes regarding sexual activity of the military conscripts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data was obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 1127 young adult military conscripts, and were evaluated in Southern Taiwan from January to July 2009, their demographic data, sexual knowledge, attitudes and activities were assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nearly 43% of the participants had performed penetrative vaginal intercourse at least once; 34% of the participants performed heterosexual oral sex at least once; almost 7% of participants had had homosexual intercourse, and 7.5% of participants had experienced homosexual oral sex in the past year. The mean sexual knowledge score based on 30 questions was 23.2 ± 4.0. The higher the educational level of the participants, the greater sexual knowledge they had obtained.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study found that 43% of unmarried young recruits had experienced premarital sexual activity. However, their sexual knowledge was insufficient and should be strengthened by sex education from an earlier age. College aged and adult learners also have sex education needs, especially with regard to integrating sexuality and life, being able to relate responsibly as sexual beings to others, the use of contraception, and about sexually transmitted disease.</p> <p>Keywords</p> <p>Young recruits, Sexual behavior, Sexual knowledge, Sex education</p

AIDS knowledge and attitudes in a Turkish population: an epidemiological study

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate and present some pertinent comments concerning Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) knowledge, attitudes and misconceptions among the general population in a city of west Turkey. This study was deemed important and relevant due to the increasing importance of AIDS in Turkey and the other countries. METHODS: Using a multistage area sampling method, a random sample of individuals aged 11–83 years, living in 65 different quarters in the city of Eskisehir, Turkey during September, October and November 2004 were interviewed. RESULTS: In all, 1048 respondents completed the survey. In most items, respondents displayed a fairly good to excellent degree of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Individuals with higher degrees of education indicated more correct responses in all items relating to knowledge of HIV/AIDS. In general, the respondents' attitudes towards AIDS and people with AIDS were found to be tolerant and positive, with one answer choice showing that the majority of the respondents agreed with the statement that those with HIV/AIDS must be supported, treated and helped (90.7%). Moreover, the proportions of the respondents' misconceptions were found to be significantly low for all the items. However, nearly one fourth of the respondents agreed with the misconceptions 'AIDS is a punishment by God' and 'One is not infected with HIV/AIDS if engaged in sport and well nourished'. CONCLUSION: In general HIV/AIDS related knowledge was high and people showed positive attitudes. However, people continue to hold misconceptions about AIDS and these need to be addressed by health education programs targeting those at higher risk

Health Related Quality of Life among Patients with Tuberculosis and HIV in Thailand

INTRODUCTION: Health utilities of tuberculosis (TB) patients may be diminished by side effects from medication, prolonged treatment duration, physical effects of the disease itself, and social stigma attached to the disease. METHODS: We collected health utility data from Thai patients who were on TB treatment or had been successfully treated for TB for the purpose of economic modeling. Structured questionnaire and EuroQol (EQ-5D) and EuroQol visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) instruments were used as data collection tools. We compared utility of patients with two co-morbidities calculated using multiplicative model (U(CAL)) with the direct measures and fitted Tobit regression models to examine factors predictive of health utility and to assess difference in health utilities of patients in various medical conditions. RESULTS: Of 222 patients analyzed, 138 (62%) were male; median age at enrollment was 40 years (interquartile range [IQR], 35-47). Median monthly household income was 6,000 Baht (187 US$; IQR, 4,000-15,000 Baht [125-469 US$]). Concordance correlation coefficient between utilities measured using EQ-5D and EQ-VAS (U(EQ-5D) and U(VAS), respectively) was 0.6. U(CAL) for HIV-infected TB patients was statistically different from the measured U(EQ-5D) (p-value<0.01) and U(VAS) (p-value<0.01). In tobit regression analysis, factors independently predictive of U(EQ-5D) included age and monthly household income. Patients aged ≥40 years old rated U(EQ-5D) significantly lower than younger persons. Higher U(EQ-5D) was significantly associated with higher monthly household income in a dose response fashion. The median U(EQ-5D) was highest among patients who had been successfully treated for TB and lowest among multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients who were on treatment. CONCLUSIONS: U(CAL) of patients with two co-morbidities overestimated the measured utilities, warranting further research of how best to estimate utilities of patients with such conditions. TB and MDR-TB treatments impacted on patients' self perceived health status. This effect diminished after successful treatment

Fetal health locus of control in a sample of pregnant Turkish women

PubMedID: 26281344Background/aim: To examine the relationship between socio demographic and pregnancy features and fetal health locus of control (FHLC) in a sample of pregnant Turkish women. Materials and methods: The study was conducted with 256 pregnant women. Data were collected by demographic questionnaire and the FHLC Scale consisting of 3 components: 1) Internality Scale (FHLC-I), 2) Powerful Others Scale (FHLC-P), and 3) Chances Scale (FHLC-C). Results: The age of marriage was found to have a positive relation with FHLC-I (r = 0.141) and a negative relation with FHLC-C (r = –0.145) (P < 0.05). The age of first pregnancy was found to have a positive relation with FHLC-I (r = 0.127). Those who have a low educational level (r = –0.258) and income (r = –0.149), who are unemployed (r = –2.839), whose number of pregnancies is high (r = 0.152), who get pregnant unplanned (r = 3.839), and who come to their first prenatal examination late (r = –0.142) have a significantly high score of FHLC-C (P <0.05). Conclusion: It may be helpful for better outcomes of prenatal care to identify pregnant women who believe that their behavior has little effect on the health of their fetus and that it is controlled by chance. © TÜBİTAK

Intensive care and oncology nurses’ perceptions and experiences with ‘Futile medical care’ and ‘principles of good death’ [Yoğun bakim ve onkoloji hemşirelerinin “yararsiz tibbi bakim” ve “iyi ölüm prensipleri” ile ilgili algilari ve deneyimleri]

Introduction: This study aimed to determine nurses’ perceptions and experiences with ‘futile medical care’ and their opinions about ‘principles of good death’. Materials and Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in 11 state hospitals and 3 university hospitals in Ankara, Turkey. It included 856 nurses working in intensive care and oncology units. A questionnaire, which included demographics and futile medical care practices and the ‘Attitudes toward Principles about Dying with Dignity Scale’ were used. Results: Participants were on average 30.49 ± 6.12 years old 92.3% were women, 61.7% were married and 62.7% had a bachelor’s degree. Nurses defined medical care as futile when it was ‘not affecting quality of life’ (35.4%), ‘not curing the disease’ (46.8%) and ‘prolonging the suffering of the patient’ (42.9%). They stated that futile care was continued because of hospital policy (32.9%), doctor’s decision (54.9%) or patient’s or relative’s decision (29.3%). Three of every four nurses stated that good death principles were not applied at their hospital. We found that attitudes toward death improved as nurses’ education level increased (p =.001), and women had higher scale scores than men (p <.001). Conclusion: Nurses were generally not satisfied with end-of-life care. Extending life, while ignoring the quality thereof, remains a major ethical dilemma for health professionals. © 2017, Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved